First Impressions: Hybrid Sights

I recently picked up a 416 upper receiver for my PTW (full pics coming soon), and was wondering about what I should put on it in terms of optics. I initially wanted to put a T1 on it, but that would’ve involved, y’know, buying another T1, since the only T1 I currently own is happy on the front end of my AK 105.

I was hanging around with the rest of Fireteam Bro the other day when Jester mentioned he had an EOTech XPS replica he wasn’t using… and I happened to have one of Juicy’s flip-to-side magnifiers he let me borrow a while back. That settled it: the 416 upper was getting hybrid sights.

More pics plus first impressions of this new optic setup after the break.

Hybrid sights were something I always wanted to try out since seeing them in Modern Warfare 3 – let’s be honest, that was the first time a lot of us saw them – and more recently on some of the PJs’ 4 setups in Inside Combat Rescue. After putting a Docter red dot replica on top of the Specter DR on my SOPMOD Block II upper, I’ve really come to appreciate the value of dual optic setups. Magnification is nice, but there are times when it becomes more of a hinderance when you’re at close range. Sometimes, all you want to do is point and shoot.

My main concern with hybrid setups is how well the optic matches up with the magnifier. I’ve taken a glance through some hybrid sight setups that local players have, and often the reticle is poorly aligned. I really wanted to have the reticle as close to the centre of the magnifier as possible. When I first put the combo together, the reticle was far, far to the left and slightly low. It was useable, but I wanted better.

Enter: 3M Transpore Medical Tape, which I used to shim the right and rear parts of the magnifier base in an attempt to move the reticle up and to the right. The medical tape is quite random and is usually used for taping up bandages and medical dressings… but I had used it in the past with airsoft (shimming my Masada’s hop rubber arm) and it performed admirably, being thin and easy to cut/tear into precise sizes.

It ended up working great again:

Above is the end result – the reticle is still slightly left of centre, but it’s a lot closer to the middle of the magnified field of view. The above pic doesn’t really do it justice, as the actual view is significantly wider and there’s not nearly as much visible ghosting on the EoTech reticle as there is in the picture.

Above is the view with the magnifier to the side. I’ve typically shied away from EoTech replicas as they are generally of poor quality and next to useless in daylight as the reflection on the rear window often drowns out the reticle. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this particular replica. I took this setup out last week to test at the end of the day and I could see the reticle quite clearly even in overcast/slightly sunny skies – thanks again, Jester!

Overall I’m quite happy with this setup and can’t wait to game it for the first time at this Saturday’s night op (sooooo hyped!). I’ll be sure to report back with my experiences.

Yes, I do find Eo-Tech holos difficult to use with a mesh face mask, but I don’t often wear a mask (only goggles) so I don’t usually have this problem. The 416 has a slightly higher height over bore compared to the M4, so this helps somewhat with obtaining a sight picture while wearing a mask.

Some of the players at our field have cut out portions of their mesh mask so they can get a good cheek weld and sight picture, while still retaining mouth/teeth protection. I’ve found that it helps to mould the mesh around your face/cheek to help get a better cheek weld, as well.